Chapter 80: Who Poisoned Him?

"Old Ancestor, what's wrong with you?"

Shen Xiaoqi said in a panic.

Shen Kangbo's eyes dimmed. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then said weakly, "I've been poisoned by a very potent toxin."

"Poisoned?"

Lv Fang furrowed his brow. Shen Kangbo was a Half-Saint; for a toxin to harm someone of his caliber, it must have come from no ordinary source. Besides, who would poison a Half-Saint as wealthy as a nation?

He smelled the stench of conspiracy.

What a coincidence. The moment he arrived, someone poisoned Shen Kangbo.

Was it just rotten luck that he happened to be present, or was someone deliberately targeting him?

Shen Kangbo's face was ashen as he said, "Lord Wenguan, forgive the embarrassment. The poison in my body is corroding my five viscera and six bowels. Please pardon any lapse in hospitality."

With that, Shen Kangbo gave a wave of his sleeve.

Buzz!

An archaic little brass bell rose into the air, shedding beams of mystic light that enveloped Shen Kangbo within them.

In only a moment's time—

Shen Kangbo, seated cross-legged on the ground, kept his eyes tightly shut, his face growing uglier by the second.

From deathly pale to an eerie green, then from a sickly yellow to a carrot-orange. His brows were almost inverted, his teeth clenched tight.

"Guards!"

Shen Xiaoqi shouted. The Shen family guards outside poured in. She swept a scrutinizing gaze over Shen Xiaxuan and Lv Fang, then said icily:

"These two are suspected of poisoning the Old Ancestor. Without my order, neither of them is to take a single step away from here."

Lv Fang frowned and said, "Miss Shen, it hasn't even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea since we saw the Old Ancestor. To poison a Half-Saint—you think far too highly of us."

Shen Xiaoqi's eyes were like chips of ice as she stared fixedly at Shen Xiaxuan and said:

"From what Lord Wenguan just said, he doesn't know a thing about this woman who claims to be the Old Ancestor's daughter. How can you be sure the poison wasn't her doing?"

Shen Xiaxuan waved her hands in a fluster and said, "I didn't poison anyone! I came here to acknowledge my kin—why would I poison Shen Kangbo? Don't talk nonsense, I really didn't poison him…"

Shen Xiaoqi paid her no heed, but turned with a cold laugh to Lv Fang and said:

"Lord Wenguan, why so silent? Can't you confirm her identity either? Hmph! Even if you are a Hou Jue, if anything happens to my family's Old Ancestor, I'll make sure the two of you are buried with him!"

Lv Fang was speechless. He could not confirm Shen Xiaxuan's origins, but neither did he believe she was the poisoner.

Right now Shen Xiaoqi was simply too enraged. One only needed to think calmly to see clearly: how could an Eighth Rank martial artist possibly poison a Half-Saint right under his nose?

The two of them hadn't even made contact—only exchanged a few words.

And Shen Kangbo hadn't sensed a thing. That would be far too difficult.

"What's going on!"

A man in his fifties strode in at the head of a group. He was tall and slender, with a gaunt, sharp-featured face. Seeing Shen Kangbo's complexion, he raged:

"How did this happen?"

Shen Xiaoqi bowed slightly and said, "Eldest Uncle, the Old Ancestor had just been meeting with Lord Wenguan and a woman of unknown origin when he was suddenly poisoned."

Lv Fang furrowed his brow. The newcomer was Shen Xiaoqi's eldest uncle, so it had to be Shen Qicheng. Realizing this, he opened his mouth to explain: "There's a misunderstanding here."

Shen Qicheng gave a cold snort and said:

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"

"When my father was poisoned, only the three of you were present. Maybe you poisoned him, maybe she did."

"Xiao Qi, don't say your eldest uncle suspects you, but normally you're the only one who can get close to your grandfather. A mere Eighth Rank martial artist and a Seventh Rank scholar poisoning a Half-Saint right in front of him—I'm afraid that's simply not possible."

"Combined with the fact that the poison took effect at this moment, Xiao Qi, you are the most suspect!"

Shen Qicheng's expression was solemn, his analysis well-reasoned and backed by evidence. The people present could not help but nod, murmuring among themselves.

"Eldest Uncle! How could I possibly poison Grandfather? What are you even saying!"

Shen Xiaoqi's face was flushed with agitation.

Shen Qicheng said expressionlessly, "Without my order, none of these three are to leave this place—not even Shen Xiaoqi!"

"Let's see who dares!"

Shen Xiaoqi looked as though she had suffered a grave injustice.

Shen Qicheng said quietly, "Xu Yiwen, if Shen Xiaoqi dares to leave this room, you need not spare her status."

"Yes."

A lean, tall old man answered. He stood ramrod straight, like a spear.

He was a scholar of the First Rank Realm.

Shen Xiaoqi clenched and unclenched her fists, then finally let go. She turned to look at Shen Kangbo and said, "Old Ancestor, are you all right?"

No response!

Shen Kangbo's condition was visibly dire. Seated cross-legged there, black qi seeped from his body; he looked like a man on the verge of death.

Shen Qicheng wept in grief. "Father! Rest assured, I will find out who poisoned you, even if it costs the entire Shen family. I will make them pay a terrible price."

Shen Xiaxuan quietly sidled up to Lv Fang and whispered:

"Brother Lv, please believe me—I really didn't poison the Shen family's Old Ancestor. They won't pin this crime on us for good, will they?"

Lv Fang said reassuringly, "An upright man fears no crooked shadow. Since we did nothing, there's nothing to fear. Surely the Shen family won't let the real culprit off either!"

"That's easy to say…"

Shen Xiaxuan looked at Shen Kangbo with a face full of worry.

Lv Fang caught her gaze and said, "The Shen family's Old Ancestor is a legend of his generation. Surely he won't come to harm so easily."

Easy enough to say, but he wasn't certain either.

After all, whoever dared to make a move against Shen Kangbo must have had confidence in their success—otherwise they wouldn't have dared to act.

As they spoke.

The direct line of the Shen family arrived one after another, each wailing and shouting threats.

Shen Qiheng, the second elder of the Shen family, a scholarly man in his forties, frowned after hearing the account: "Big brother, should we seal off Shen Family Mountain? The murderer dared to use poison—there may be a follow-up plan."

No sooner had he finished speaking.

Shen Lingyun, the eldest son of Shen Qicheng, ran in hurriedly, shouting as he came:

"Father! Uncle Qiheng, someone found poison in Shen Xiaoqi's room. I can't tell what kind it is—come and take a look!"

"How is that possible! Shen Lingyun, don't frame me!"

Shen Xiaoqi's eyes widened, as if to rush forward, but Xu Yiwen held her back.

Shen Lingyun sneered: "I think you're trying to kill Grandfather—after all, the will leaves the Shen family to you. You feared he'd change his mind, so you…"

Shen Qicheng rebuked: "Lingyun, don't speak nonsense. This powder you brought isn't poison—it's ground castor bean."

Shen Qiheng nodded. "It's indeed castor bean powder."

Lv Fang watched this farce, puzzled. He wasn't sure if Shen Xiaoqi had been the one to poison him, but it didn't feel like her.

Who would be so foolish as to poison someone and then deliberately stay right in front of Shen Kangbo?

Unless Shen Xiaoqi was operating on reverse logic—but everyone in the Shen family seemed unfriendly toward her, even outright hostile.

If Shen Kangbo died right now, she couldn't possibly be the beneficiary.

Moreover, if Shen Xiaoqi were the type to stop at nothing, she wouldn't resist marrying him so strongly—it would be the perfect way to secure her position.

Rather, from what Lv Fang knew, Shen Qicheng and Shen Qiheng held the most power: one controlled the Shen family's finances, the other its intelligence network.

Don't underestimate that intelligence network—the Shen family's business spans the entire Zhou Empire; imagine how extensive their information system must be.

Thinking this, Lv Fang now felt the two of them had the strongest motive.